Day two of Community Services deputy minister’s testimony at the human rights enquiry: When it comes to community living, government inaction is the operative word, and that hasn’t substantially changed with the end of the so-called moratorium on small options homes. Individuals continue to languish in large institutions, and parents continue to worry about what will happen to their loved ones when they die.
Community Services deputy minister Lynn Hartwell testified all day today at the human rights inquiry into the lack of community living options for people living with disabilities. We learned that very little has been accomplished since the department published its disability roadmap some four years ago. She’ll be back at it tomorrow, and so will the NS Advocate.
The mother of a man who lives at Quest Regional Rehabilitation Centre in Lower Sackville told a human rights tribunal today that the institution is the right place for her son, who lives with cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair. “Joey is happy at Quest. He has a beautiful room, a beautiful yard. It’s quiet. He goes on outings,” said Betty Rich. “Small option homes aren’t a good solution for Joey. It may well be that small options works for others, but I am the mother, and I must make my own calls.”
EL Jones interviewed by Talking Radical’s Scott Neigh, on prisons, the Black Power Hour, how to organize, and the responsibilities that brings. “You cant’ back off when it’s hard and and say this is too hard, I am really tired now. You have to be in it for the long haul. You have to commit. You can always walk away and they can’t. You have to be there. They’re in such a vulnerable situation, and you have this power when you’re on the outside. You really have to make these strong commitments and follow through on them.”
Alex Kronstein continues his investigation of efforts to “cure” Autism, taking a closer look at practices in Nova Scotia. “They may not be so blatant about “building the person” today, but the idea that autistic ways of being are wrong is nonetheless still the foundation,” writes Alex.
Our friends at the James McGregor Stewart Society report on a Halifax restaurant that went from a nicely wheelchair-accessible entrance to make-do.
Unfortunately, Halifax’s new Road Safety Plan isn’t living up to its billing, writes safe streets activist Martyn Williams, who suggests some simple solutions that were successful elsewhere and would go a long ways in making getting out and about in Halifax both safer and more enjoyable for all.
Alex Kronstein on the worrisome similarities between Gay Conversion Therapies and Applied Behavioural Analysis, aimed to “eliminate problem behaviours in autistic children.”
PSA: Along with many of you, the Sexual Health Centre of Cumberland County is deeply concerned that our county is the intended location for a religious gathering that will educate attendees, including youth, that homosexuality is a sin.
Day one in a human rights inquiry into wheelchair access to washrooms in restaurants. It was quick, wrap up is tomorrow. Oh, and the case almost didn’t happen because the Human Rights Commission didn’t think it had merit, and the complainants had to take the Commission to court. Sound familiar?